


Responsibilities of a Hero

by bilgegungoren00



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Pregnancy, married Karamel, sad!Kara, supportive-husband!Mon-El
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 04:04:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11153871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bilgegungoren00/pseuds/bilgegungoren00
Summary: They were having a child, and it made Kara realize that it was something she could never have, no matter how much she might want it.Or, in which Kara is feeling down, and Mon-El is there for her.





	1. being a hero (it’s hard, and sometimes it hurts)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all!
> 
> Finally, finally, finally my exams are over, and I can write without needing to worry about studying getting in the way! I feel so happy and relaxed right now, like I'm free, that OF COURSE I had to write a Karamel one-shot, because GOSH it's been a long time since I last wrote one, and I'd missed it. And I had all these ideas circling my head, just begging me to write them for the whole exam week, so I'm so glad that I can finally get to write them.
> 
> And trust me, I have A LOT OF ideas for Karamel one-shots, as well as two multi-chapter fics ;))))))
> 
> BUT ANYWAY, this will be only the first of one-shots (well, technically it has two chapters, but whatever, I'm calling it a one-shot) I'll be writing, and there's definitely more to come! So I hope you enjoy this and all the rest that will be coming up!

From her spot on the terrace, Kara could hear the voices coming from inside the house as a breeze swept her air off her shoulder and threw it back. It was a cold night, with the month being January and all, yet she wasn’t feeling any of that, even though all she was wearing was a thin sweater and leggings. She only _knew_ it must be cold, because not too long ago Oliver had wrapped yet another blanket around Felicity, saying she needed to stay warm. Even though the woman already had a cardigan and yet another blanket on her.

Not that Kara could blame him for wanting to take care of his wife, especially considering the current situation.

She couldn’t help wincing as the sound of Felicity’s giggle filled her ears, as well as Oliver’s completely carefree laughter. They sounded so happy, so…free of worry and burdens. And Kara _knew_ she should be happy for them, happy that they’d finally managed to escape the demons of their pasts and build themselves an amazing life—and she _did_ —yet she also couldn’t get rid of the tightness in her chest and the knot that lodged in her throat when she saw them like that. When she saw them building a _family_.

Because Felicity was pregnant.

She and Oliver were having a baby. A mini Green Arrow or—or maybe Overwatch.

They were having a child, and it made Kara realize that it was something she could never have, no matter how much she might want it. No matter for how _long_ she’d wanted it.

Closing her eyes she forced herself to loosen her grip on the railing before she crushed the metal beneath her fingers, and tried to shut out the voices coming from Oliver and Felicity’s loft. She’d been urging herself for the last few minutes to just go back inside and join the group in their celebration. That was why she and Mon-El came to Earth-1 in the first place, right? Because Felicity had an announcement for them, an important one, and she wanted the whole group together. Yet she was out in the terrace while her husband sat inside with their friends because she couldn’t help her stupid feelings get in the way of her being happy for Felicity and Oliver. And the last thing she wanted was to spoil the mood for something so _ridiculous_.

She slipped away from her thoughts when she heard the door open behind her and quickly blinked her tears away. Even though she didn’t look back to see who came, she immediately knew who it was from his heartbeat. An almost smile pulled her lips.

“Hey babe,” Mon-El mumbled as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Kara immediately leaned back on his chest, resting her head on his shoulder, letting his embrace calm her thoughts. She sometimes thought he had a magical touch, because no matter what kind of a horrible situation she was in, Mon-El always managed to comfort her. This time, he put a kiss on her hair before he continued. “You’ve been outside for a long time now. What’s wrong?”

With that her eyes snapped open and all that brief comfort she managed to find dissipated. But of course, she should’ve expected him to see that she wasn’t okay. He somehow always managed to see through her. He was pretty good at it too, which was… _incredible_ since she wasn’t one to show her feelings a lot. She usually hid them, and hid them well.

“Nothing,” she lied as she shook her head, straightening up and turning around slightly to look at him. “I just wanted some fresh air.” She could see in his eyes that he didn’t believe her. He let her go for a brief second to step next to her.

“Come on, Kara,” he said, putting his hands on her arms to turn her around. She found himself facing him as he tugged her close, so much so that their toes were brushing each other’s. “We’ve been together for seven years now. You think I can’t understand it when something is bothering you?” He arched his brow and squeezed her arms, a smile playing on his lips. Kara felt her shoulders slump as she gave up on trying to convince him she was okay, and instead turned her eyes to her feet. Her cheeks heated with guilt.

“It’s… It’s ridiculous,” she said, shaking her head. She knew a crinkle had formed on her forehead when Mon-El’s eyes turned there. “You don’t have to worry about it. It’s a day of celebration, right?” She couldn’t stop her voice from shaking at the last words, and when she lifted her gaze, she found herself coming face to face with the Daxamite’s scolding look.

“Hey, I’m not just going to go inside and pretend everything’s okay when my wife is out here and _not_ okay.” He took her hand softly and laced their fingers together, as if telling her that he was there for her and he wasn’t leaving. “Just tell me what’s going on. _Let_ me help, if I can.” Kara got ready to tell him that he really shouldn’t have to bother with her stupid feelings, yet she stopped herself when she realized he wouldn’t give up. Shame churned in her stomach as she tugged on the sleeves of her sweater, busying herself with a thread.

“I just… I guess seeing Felicity pregnant hit me harder than I thought,” she confessed, not looking at her husband. Mon-El still ducked his chin, trying to catch her gaze.

“How come?” he asked, her voice sounding genuinely curious and not even one bit of judgmental. She couldn’t help feeling grateful at that, at the fact that he was listening to her before he jumped into conclusions, yet that didn’t change what _she_ thought about the situation. She turned her eyes to the sky to keep herself from crying as she forced a laugh.

“I’m happy for them,” she started, making sure she got a grip on herself before she turned to Mon-El. “I truly am. They… After everything they’ve been through, they deserved this. To—To have a family. To be happy.” She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear nervously, feeling glad that Mon-El’s hands were on her waist and supporting her, because she doubted she’d get a word out without falling apart if it hadn’t been for him. “It just…” She shut her eyes as another rush of tears hit her. “It made me realize that I’m never gonna have what they have. Ever. No matter how much I want it.” She felt the Daxamite’s hands still at that, and her heart plummeted in her chest. She looked away quickly, yet she wasn’t quick enough to not see his frown.

“Kara, what are you talking about?” he asked, confusion audible in her voice. Kara huffed with frustration. She wasn’t exactly angry at _him_ though, it wasn’t like he’d done anything wrong; she was angry at the…at the _situation_. All of it. At the fact that her responsibilities as a hero—as _Supergirl_ , whom she loved being so much—were getting in the way of her having everything she wanted. At the fact that even when she thought she had it all, something would always come that would force her to choose between being Supergirl and that thing. She’d always have to make that choice, at every point in her life, and the worst part was that she knew she’d always choose being Supergirl over everything else.

“Felicity is pregnant, Mon-El,” she whispered, looking at her hands that were clasped in front of her. She laughed hoarsely and shook her head. “And she _can_ be pregnant, because she—she doesn’t go out to protect Star City, she doesn’t fight criminals every day or risk her life. She can just sit behind a computer and do whatever she has to do from there. And I know she’s helping Oliver a lot, I know team Arrow wouldn’t even be close to being as successful without her, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s safely tucked away in Arrow cave. She doesn’t have to give up being a hero because she’s pregnant.” Her gaze found Mon-El’s at that, his eyes looking blurry because of her tears. She tried to blink them away. She couldn’t stop herself as the rest of the words—rest of her _worries_ —flowed out of her mouth.

“I don’t get that choice. I—I’m Supergirl. I _have to_ go out. I _have to_ risk my life to protect National City. And yes, it’s mostly petty criminals and armed robberies that can’t hurt me, but that doesn’t change the fact that every now and then I face an alien that _can_ hurt me. If I… If I get pregnant and go out to fight someone like that, I would be putting my child’s life at risk. If I make even a small mistake it could cost his or her life. I can’t take that risk, Mon-El. I can’t put our child at risk going out like that; I’d never forgive myself if something happened. But… But I also can’t just stop being a hero and protecting National City for _at least_ eight months because I wanted to have a _baby_.” She had to stop when she felt herself falling apart and took a shaky breath. Fortunately, right at that time Mon-El put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Hey, hey, Kara, calm down,” he whispered softly, stroking her cheek and turning her gaze to him. His eyes looked so caring, so understanding that Kara couldn’t believe it at first. “You don’t have to worry about all of that right now. We’ll… We’ll figure out a way later, okay? We’ll figure it out together. We just need some time. Besides, you know you aren’t the _only_ hero in the city. You have me.” He flashed her a smile at that, and Kara felt the corners of her lips tip up at least slightly. She nodded.

“Yeah, I know,” she said, yet her smile dissipated almost immediately when she thought about that. “But Mon-El, Supergirl is much more than just someone who saves the day. She’s… She’s a symbol for National City. She’s people’s inspiration, and light, and…and hope. She gives people _hope_ and a sense of _safety_. I can’t just stop being those things because I want to have a child. That’s not… That’s not what a hero does. It would be… _selfish_. It’s my duty to protect my city and its people, I can’t choose my personal wishes over that.” She hadn’t even realized she was crying until Mon-El wiped her cheek with his thumb and rubbed her shoulder.

“Babe, nobody would blame you if you took a couple of months for yourself. You’ve been a hero for eight years, _nonstop_. You deserve more than anything step away from it to have a baby.” He offered her a supportive smile as he caressed her hair and tucked it behind her ear. Kara could see his love shining in his eyes as he turned them to hers. And she wished, with all of her heart, that she could believe what he said. Well, she _believed_ it, she _knew_ it was true, yet…yet _knowing_ it was true and _feeling_ it were two different things. And no matter how many times she told herself that National City wouldn’t be left hero-less in her absence, no matter how many times she repeated that it was _okay_ to choose yourself over others in some situations, she couldn’t _feel_ it.

“I’d blame myself,” she croaked almost, her voice small. “I know what you’re saying is true, but I just… I can’t _feel_ it. It feels wrong and…and un-heroic to choose myself.” Biting her lip she ducked her chin. “I’m sorry.” And she meant it when she said that. She truly _was_ sorry. Not just because _she_ couldn’t have a child, but that also meant Mon-El couldn’t have one either, all because of her. She’d never really thought about it when they got married, she didn’t have a _reason_ for it, but…but now that she did, she wished they would’ve considered that before. Because… Because Mon-El deserved to have his own child. He deserved to be a father, and that was something she couldn’t give to him. Would he still have chosen to marry her if he knew that?

“You’re sorry?” Mon-El asked almost incredulously, taking her out of her thoughts. He grabbed her chin gently to lift her head. “Kara, why would you apologize for something you have no control over?”

“Because you deserve better than that!” she exclaimed as she spread her arms. They fell to her sides almost immediately. She kept her gaze on Mon-El’s shirt as she continued. “You… You deserve to have a family, and…and you deserve better than not having children because _I_ can’t have children. You deserve someone that can—that can give that to you, and—“ She had to stop when Mon-El cradled her face in his hands, making her turn her eyes at his. He had a serious look on his face, so much so that it almost took her breath away. It was like his eyes screamed at her to _listen_ to what he was saying, screamed that it was the full truth.

“Hey, Kara, don’t think that,” he told her. “Don’t you think that. Look at me.” He ducked his chin, focusing his gaze on her, wanting her to know he was being completely honest. “I knew what I was getting myself into when I married you, okay? I knew what it might mean for our future. And I don’t regret it, not one bit.” A smile pulled his lips, a genuinely _happy_ smile, as his thumbs stroked her cheeks and hair softly, _lovingly._ “I have everything that I deserve right now, everything I _want,_ and much more. So don’t ever think what we have won’t be enough for me. I…” He stopped, as if trying to choose the right words, before continuing. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Kara could only look at him as she felt her eyes slowly fill with tears. She knew how much Mon-El loved her, of course she knew—he never failed at showing her that—but sometimes…sometimes, when he did or said something like this, she felt like her heart would swell and burst out of her chest. She felt so loved, so appreciated and admired by him, like she was the most amazing girl in the world. It felt even _better_ when she was feeling down or she felt like she’d failed something, because no matter what had happened Mon-El stayed by her and gave her the support she needed, never forgetting to remind her that he loved her and he’d always love her.

The Daxamite wiped away another tear that escaped Kara’s eyes before tugging her close, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “Come here,” he whispered as he guided her head to his chest, holding her tightly, as if wanting to remind her that he was there for her. Kara hugged him back, balling his shirt in her fists as she closed her eyes and let her tears fall silently. She felt Mon-El’s lips on her hair. “We’ll figure it out together, okay?” he promised her, running his fingers through her hair and letting his fingers tangle between her curls. She nodded, even though a part of her doubted this was something they could _figure out._ Even though she couldn’t find a solution to it without giving up one of the two things she really wanted. Instead she let Mon-El’s arms calm her nerves, and for the moment she let go of her worries and just focused on his comforting touch. It wasn’t like there was anything else she could do.

“We always figure it out.”


	2. being Supergirl and having you (maybe it’s enough)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, seriously, someone stop me. I've literally written THREE stories in a matter of TWO days, and I still wanna keep on writing........I need help.
> 
> To be honest, though, I don't even have one bit of regret lol. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you like it!

**3 months later**

Kara’s fingers were tapping on the windowsill of the opened car window as she watched the trees go by, wondering not for the first time where exactly Mon-El might be taking them. This morning, at around 8:30 a.m. he’d woken her up with a kiss on the forehead and a tray filled with her favorite breakfast foods, saying they needed to leave the house at 9:30 if they wanted to make it to… _somewhere_. She’d of course asked him _where_ they were going, but Mon-El had been keeping his mouth shut, even though he knew _very_ well she hated surprises.

“You’re gonna love this one,” he’d promised her. “Trust me.” Kara couldn’t do anything other than nodding, knowing there was _no way_ she’d get Mon-El to tell what he was planning, especially if he was _this_ excited about it, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t _annoyed_. Not because she didn’t trust Mon-El, but there was something about surprises that always got her on edge.

She slipped away from her thoughts when she felt Mon-El reaching for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “You’re nervous,” he stated, glancing at her briefly before turning to the road. Frowning, Kara snorted.

“I’m not,” she lied, even though one look at her tense shoulders would show her strained nerves. “Where did you get that?”

“You’re crinkling,” Mon-El pointed out, squeezing her hand. Kara could see a small smile forming on his face. She immediately tried to adjust her expression, but it took her about a second to give up. What was the point of pretending she wasn’t worried?

“Okay, fine, I am,” she confessed, her thumb drawing a circle on the back of Mon-El’s hand. “But you _know_ how much I hate surprises. If you just told me where we’re going…” She lifted her brows, hoping that seeing her nervous would weaken his resolve and he’d _maybe_ tell her his plan, yet all Mon-El did was sigh. He had to let her hand go to shift gears.

“Too impatient?” he asked with a chuckle, earning a glare from Kara. She would’ve hit him on the arm too if it wasn’t for the fact that he was driving and she didn’t want to cause the car to go off road. She opted to cross her arms instead.

“I’m not _impatient,_ I just want to _know,_ ” she defended herself, jutting her chin forward. “Besides, if you told me, we could’ve just flown there instead of bothering to drive. It’s taking too long already.”

“Yeah,” Mon-El admitted, considering her words briefly. “But what we’re gonna do isn’t about Supergirl and Valor. It’s about you and me. Kara and Mike Matthews. Kara Zor-El and Mon-El. No superpowers, no anything else. Just us.” Kara couldn’t help feeling like something swelled in her chest when he flashed him a smile. “Besides,” he shrugged then, “it would look really weird if we just showed up there without a car.” Kara’s ears perked up at that as she arched one brow.

“So we’re going somewhere public?” she asked excitedly as her mind filed that information, narrowing down the possibilities. Mon-El had to think for a second before nodding.

“Kind of. You’ll see in about five minutes, Kara. Just be patient.” He reached for her hand again and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She glared at him for a couple of seconds, which only widened his grin, before sighing and resting her back on the seat. She continued to watch the trees for about thirty seconds more before she turned back at the Daxamite.

“You could at least give me a hint,” she suggested, straightening up. She could see Mon-El’s shoulders slump as he shook his head, yet there was a hint of amusement in his eyes too.

“You’re not gonna give up, are you?” he asked, glancing over at a road sign and taking a left turn. Kara shook her head.

“Nope.” He sighed exasperatedly, seemingly having a mental debate for a couple of seconds.

“Okay, fine,” he said finally, giving up, and scowled at the Kryptonian when she started grinning. Her grin morphed into curiosity as he continued. “So, I’ve been doing some extensive research,” he started. Kara lifted her brows at that. “Ever since we came back from Earth 1 three months ago. And I found out that there was this thing on earth where you could take in…someone else’s baby and take care of them as your own, like…like being his or her parents and all.” Kara’s muscles froze with his words as she slowly processed what exactly he was talking about. Mon-El glanced at her nervously. The next of his words came out quietly. “ _Adorktion_ , was it?”

“Adoption,” she corrected him almost absentmindedly, still struggling to understand—to _accept_ —what he was trying to say. Adoption. _Adoption._ He was talking about adoption, about…about taking a child in and raising him or her as your own. As parents. He was talking about _having a baby,_ in a way. A _baby._ Something… Something that she thought she’d never get to do.

She’d only mentioned it to him once, when they were at Felicity’s celebration. She was feeling down and all of her worries had slipped out of her mouth. Afterwards, when they went back inside from the terrace and rejoined the group she’d almost forgotten it. Not _completely_ , but it had been good enough. Since then nothing had really triggered her to mention it again. Yet… Yet Mon-El had remembered it. Not even remembering it, he _never_ forgot it. _Ever since we came back from Earth 1 three months ago…_ That was what he’d said, which meant for _three months_ he’d been looking for a way for her to have a child. For _them_ to have a child. She felt tears fill her eyes as feelings hit her hard in the chest.

“We’re adopting a baby?” she couldn’t help asking, her voice hoarse. Mon-El glanced at her nervously when he saw her tears.

“Not immediately. I searched online, and apparently there are a lot of steps we need to take before actually getting to the adoption part, and I didn’t want to just do it without talking with you first. This is… We’re just going to an adoption agency I found; they were having an informational meeting and I thought… You know, I thought we could see what it’s like and if it fits us and all…” His voice trailed off as he searched her face. “We don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. We can just turn around and leave. I just thought… I thought it would make you happy.” He almost grimaced and squeezed the steering wheel, and that was only when Kara realized a tear had slipped down her cheeks. She quickly wiped it away before Mon-El got the wrong idea and shook her head, not being able to help the laughter that escaped her lips.

“No, Mon-El, I’m… I’m happy. These are happy tears. Trust me,” she said, wiping her cheeks with her sleeves. “You just caught me off guard. I wasn’t… I wasn’t expecting that. I wasn’t expecting for you to remember what I said.” Mon-El seemed genuinely confused as he turned the car to the right, and a white building appeared in front of them.

“I remember everything you say,” he stated simply, as if it would be _ridiculous_ to think otherwise. A genuine smile pulled Kara’s lips, and she couldn’t help wondering how she’d gotten so lucky to have someone like Mon-El as her husband. She nodded, keeping her eyes on the Daxamite even as they entered the parking lot.

“Yeah, I know,” she said softly, feeling her heart flutter with pride when the corner of Mon-El’s lips tipped up. He parked the car at the closest empty spot and turned to her fully, wanting to say what he was about to say as he looked at her in the eyes. He grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together, a serious look appearing on his face.

“Seeing you outside Felicity’s loft, crying, and hearing you say that you might never have something that you wanted… I don’t think I could ever forget that, Kara. Hell, I couldn’t get it out of my mind when we got back. And I wanted… I wanted to give you what you want; I want to be able to give you _everything_ you want.” He glanced at the building of the adoption agency briefly, his thumb stroking the back of her hand, before he continued. “I know it’s not the same thing as having our own child, and I know you probably would’ve preferred that, but I thought… I thought that if that wasn’t possible, maybe we could…do this, you know? Even if it’s not our biolo—“

“Mon-El,” Kara stopped him, her voice deep with the turmoil of emotions going on inside her, and put her hand on his shoulder. She ducked her chin to meet his gaze, making sure he knew she was telling the full truth. “It’s perfect.” Mon-El blinked with surprise at her words, like he wasn’t expecting her to say that, as she smiled at him and leaned forward, pressing a kiss on his lips. Her hands went up to cup his cheeks, her fingers brushing the ends of his hair, before she pulled back and rested his forehead against his. She couldn’t help the grin that formed on her face when Mon-El straightened up to look at her. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“So…you’re happy?” he asked, almost nervous. Chuckling Kara nodded.

“Yeah, I am. I’m…happy.” As she looked in Mon-El’s eyes, though, she wasn’t sure _happy_ described everything she was feeling at that moment. She was joyous, excited, and maybe a bit nervous, but most of all… Most of all she felt loved. She felt like she was so _important_ to someone, not just _someone_ but Mon-El, that he’d go to enormous lengths to give her what she wanted, no matter how small or big it was. She stroked his hair. “I love you, Mon-El,” she said truthfully. “And I… I can’t thank you enough for doing this for me. I don’t even know what to say.” Mon-El flashed her a smile.

“You don’t need to say anything,” he promised her as he leaned down and put a small kiss on her forehead. “You’re worth all of it.” Kara couldn’t do anything but smile, afraid she’d just burst into tears from happiness if she opened her mouth, and hoped Mon-El understood everything she wanted to say from her eyes. He was good at reading her after all, right? “Now come on,” Mon-El said, unlocking the car doors. “Or else we’ll be late for the meeting.” A laugh bubbled up Kara’s chest.

“Okay, I’m coming, I’m coming,” she said as she stepped out of the car. Mon-El was already there by the time she shut the door. He extended his hand to hers, his whole face shining with joy, and Kara didn’t feel even one bit of hesitation as she took his hand. Not only she knew he would always be by her side, but now he’d proved it yet again that he would do anything to make her happy.

What more could she ask for…now that he also was giving her the family she’d always wanted?


End file.
